Her. A light anything but ordinary. She endured harassment and physical threats. Despite all that, she registered to vote. And for that, she lost her job. Then she helped others register to vote. And for that, she was arrested, and severely beaten to death on the jailhouse cell floor. By cheap but she pressed on. She became one of the founders, one of the leaders of the mississippi freedom democratic party. [cheering] they came to the Democratic Convention in 1964 to protest the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the absence of any blacks in the mississippi delegation. There before millions watching on television, she spoke of her ordeal. She gave a voice to all of us who wanted more, who dreamed up the possibility of better days. She reminded us of our basic values and our purpose. She helps this nation find its way again. 40 years later we stand before the most diverse convention in the history of the democratic party. [cheering] more africanamerican, asianamerican, native a
Country, delicate and strangely made proud yet thrusting perpetually under siege. Your arm struggles for profits have lest currents of debris upon my breast. Yet today i call you to my riverside if you will study war no more. Come clad in peace, and i will sing the songs the creator gave to me when i, and the tree and the rock were one. Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your brow, and when you yet new you still new nothing. The river sang and sings on. There is a true yearning to respond to the Singing River and the wise rock. So say the asian hispanic, jew, African Native american sioux, catholic, muslim, french, greek, irish, the rabbi, the priest, the sheik, the gay, the straight, the preacher, the privileged the homeless the teacher. They all hear the speaking of the tree. They hear the first and last of every tree speak to human kind today. Come to me here beside the river. Plant yourself beside the river. Each of you accident end of some passedon traveler has been paid for
It is my great pleasure to introduce the chairman of the Kennedy Library Foundation Board of directors who gives endlessly of his time and extraordinary talents to both this institution and to our country. [applause] to welcome everybody here this morning. This is one of the great highlights of the year for this Great Library and we are honored to have all of you here with us today to celebrate a very special day. As we begin the ceremony, i want to acknowledge a couple of people who are pivotal and we are pleased that they are here today. First, my close friend and a man hisgives whatever he asked, vision, his work indispensable to this institution. Not do not know this but it is said that designed the tiffany lantern we will be presenting to our distinguished awardees. That is one of the many things that it does for us and i appreciate that. And rosewelcome Ed Schlossberg is here today. We are happy to have jack schlossberg. Shy in ourt deliberations. We will hear more about jack and
An expert in hand surgery without knowing much about the rest of the human body, so also one can become expert in various segments of the law without knowing much about the rest. We should call the former a hand surgeon rather than a doctor; and the latter a realestate conveyancer, or h r block, but not a lawyer. Those of you who have walked the streets of paris may have noticed signs here and there. Jurisconsult. Not avocats, lawyers. I am not even sure whether one must pass an exam or have any special training to work in such hang out a sign. I suspect not. None of you who are being graduated today is being certified an expert in patent or employment law. You are instead receiving degrees that attest to your successful completion of a sustained threeyear study of law. The mastery of that subject is what turns the student into a legal professional. This is the traditional view, well expressed by an earlier, and wiser, aba panel in 1921. And i quote Legal Education , should produce a r
Money comes and goes, but if you get an Honorary Degree attached, that stays with you until the end of your days. There are certainly speakers who are brought in because there is a hope that they have a particular interest in a program that will be initiated or is ongoing at the university. The university is honoring them because of the shared interest and hoping they will be donating to the university in the future. Many cases were Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degrees are targeted to people of means in the hope they will work with the university in building some particular program. Typically, they will not be offered any fee at all. The University Needs their money. Carey nelson is former president of the American Association of University Professors and he serves as an english professor at the university of illinois and our viewers can find out more at your website. I also think once you have announced the commencement speaker, withdrawing it is an act of cowardice. That has ha